I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 225 The Imminent Ascension of Bai Banruo! The 42nd Level of the Secret Realm, the Sword Saint of the Warring States Period!
The top spot on the list has changed hands.

The news spread throughout Hamamatsu City's circles related to the Sengoku Secret Realm in less than a minute, and immediately topped the trending searches, causing the entire Special Affairs Bureau forum to boil over.

It wasn't just about reaching the top faster by conquering the forty-first floor; it was about surpassing the forty-first floor even though both Minamoto no Shizumi and Kyuuketsuin Jin were unable to do so.

That "Anonymous Person No. 666" did it.

Hamamatsu City, in an empty house owned by the Minamoto family.

After returning here following her failed second attempt, Yuan Jingshui, who had just showered and changed, listened to the servant's report word for word.

In a room sealed off with specially made soundproofing cotton and covered with bright yellow hardwood floors, the girl, whose face had long been as cold as ice, finally broke into a smile.

She lowered her eyes and looked at herself reflected in the Hotaru Blade.

A hint of fighting spirit, like a hunter eyeing its prey, flickered in his eyes.
"Anonymous...that's really intriguing."

Genjiro gently stroked the katana on his lap, brushing aside his emotions, and thought calmly and longingly in his heart: "I wonder when I will be able to fight against such a hero."

In Hamamatsu City, a cheap guesthouse costing 5,000 yen a night.

Saito Ryuichi, still wearing his haori and without changing his clothes, sat on the tatami mat, eating instant noodles, his eyes fixed on the top spot on the list of the top 100.

After finishing every last drop of the instant noodle soup, he murmured softly.
"The anonymous person who has been weighing on my head for a long time is the Special Affairs Department agent who doesn't have a strong backer."

It's best to befriend him earlier than others... Five thousand contribution points should be enough to get some minor details.

A black limousine is driving on the border of Hamamatsu City.

Lying in the back seat, Jiu Jieyuan Jin, who was idly scrolling through her phone, let out a slightly surprised "oh," and then typed with both thumbs to post a congratulatory message on the forum.

Instead of feeling annoyed or resentful about losing first place, they were actually happy to see it happen.

He exited the app and opened the anime-watching app, thinking, "If Jing Shui is suppressed like me, then those old men at home probably won't make any extra demands."

Very good, very good.

Thanks to anonymous user #666, you really helped me solve a rather troublesome request.

……

Numazu City, Yagyu Dojo.

After a long period of shock and silence, Tamamo finally accepted the fact.

But then she couldn't help but wonder—shouldn't this anonymous person, number 666, be Uesugi-sama?
But Uesugi was just resting in the next room, so why is he now in Hamamatsu City fighting in the dungeon, and casually destroyed levels 40 and 41?
What, do you have the Flying Thunder God Technique?

and many more.

Tamamo suddenly remembered the train that arrived that morning, which was on call and had taken them to Shizuoka City within five minutes, carrying a large number of demons.

That makes it not impossible...

"You ran away after eating, didn't you?"

Tamamo grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth, unable to suppress her curiosity, and got up from the dining table. She crouched down and tiptoed into the room that Uesugi Tetsu had entered not long ago.

Holding my breath, I quietly opened a tiny gap.

Tamamo peeked out and saw an unexpected figure in the corner of the room.

—Surprisingly, it was Uesugi Tetsuya, with his eyes closed and breathing steadily!
The girl was stunned.

She looked down uncertainly at her phone, confirming that the top 100 list had indeed changed.

The person at the top of the list is indeed anonymous user number 666.

If that's the case, then the fact is that Uesugi-sama isn't anonymous user number 666 at all! Was my guess wrong from the very beginning?!

But if Uesugi was really as weak as he claimed, how could he have cleansed the illegal phone booths in Shizuoka City with almost no injuries?

I don't understand.

I can't figure it out at all.

Tamamo stared at Uesugi Tetsuya, who was "sleeping beautifully," and was completely dumbfounded.

……

At this very moment, on the forty-second floor of the Warring States Projection Secret Realm.

With effortless ease, Uesugi Tetsuya wiped out Oda Nobunaga's army of ten thousand men, and unharmed, he lightly touched the wall of mist with the tip of his blade.

The Kaga Kiyomitsu at my waist trembled slightly with dissatisfaction, thinking to myself, "My master has never pulled me out since he came in!"
"Well... Jia, the strength of this limited weapon is undeniable. You should understand the beauty of strength."

Uesugi Tetsu patted Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword tsuba and encouraged it, "When you become ten times stronger than this, I'll definitely throw this useless thing aside without hesitation."

Kaga Kiyomitsu was too lazy to reply, and didn't even want to shake.

Ten times more... Master, this pie in the sky is too big and too far-fetched. It's more like it could kill ten of you in one go.

As they chatted and laughed, the fog wall silently dissipated.

Uesugi Tetsu immediately focused his mind, activated his Deciphering Eye, and gripped the forty-meter-long sword in his hand.

The sheer number of ten thousand soldiers appearing on the forty-first floor alone could easily annihilate ten or eight of his four-tailed fox projections.

Those forty-two levels, as the final level of the secret realm, are the last line of defense preventing challengers from passing through. They can almost be said to be the strongest beings below the level of demons and gods in the entire Warring States period.

It is entirely reasonable that the projection there is ten times stronger than that of the forty-first floor.

So, who could it be?
Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes and caught a glimpse of the figure that had appeared after the mist dissipated.

Upon seeing it clearly, he was taken aback.

Because this projection... was actually a teenager.

Moreover, judging from his appearance, he looks even younger than her.

The handsome young man, who had nothing else but a simple katana that could be bought anywhere and wore a loose-fitting coarse linen robe, looked puzzled and turned his head, as if trying to figure out the situation.

In short, they appear harmless.

For some reason, the moment Uesugi Tetsu saw the boy, the hairs on his body stood on end.

The pressure was like an abyss that swallowed him up.

It was as if they had encountered some kind of terrifying predator or natural enemy.

Even if he held a greatsword that could annihilate the boy's projection in an instant, the feeling would still linger like a persistent thorn in his side.

The boy looked around and finally focused his gaze on Uesugi Tetsuya and the forty-meter-long sword in his hand, whose style was completely out of place.

Then, a moment of astonishment appeared on his face in the face of this amazing creation that completely surpassed the Warring States period.

The boy examined the broadsword for a while, then nodded thoughtfully: "If this sword were to fall, I would definitely die."

Hearing the boy mutter to himself, Uesugi Tetsuya silently hummed in his mind, puzzled.

—I've never seen this projection before, and it seems the projection doesn't recognize me either, so how can it have self-awareness?

—Is it a privilege of the final boss on the 42nd floor?
Without much thought, Uesugi Tetsuya, who held the truth in his hands, asked directly, "Do you know me?"

The boy shook his head without hesitation: "I don't know him at all."

"Then how do you possess self-awareness and thoughts?" Uesugi Tetsu asked him from dozens of meters away. "In this special area, other projections that appear like you have no self-awareness."

"projection……"

The boy blinked in confusion, tilted his head, and replied, "I don't know, but if it were me, it would be normal to be a little different from ordinary people."

A calm answer, and confidence that almost overflowed from his words.

The familiar scent made Uesugi Tetsuya raise an eyebrow—this was a complete replica of Ririko, and even seemed more confident than Ririko herself.

No, can this still be called "confidence"?

Arrogance knows no bounds; perhaps that would be a more accurate description.

Uesugi Tetsu stared into the eyes of the boy who was yawning.

He noticed that whether the blade swept across him or could kill him instantly, the man's eyes remained calm.

So calm, they didn't even consider me a threat.

Absolutely, they are arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

After a moment of silence, Uesugi Tetsu asked the projection of the boy,

"who are you?"

The boy replied, "Kamizumi Ise no Kami Hidetsuna, he is destined to become a sword saint."

Shangquan?

A man destined to become a sword saint?

Upon hearing the two keywords in succession, Uesugi Tetsu blinked, quickly searching his memory after having crammed on the history of the Warring States period.

Soon, Uesugi Tetsuya was stunned.

Kamizumi Ise Mori Hidetsuna... Kamizumi Nobutsuna?
Kamizumi Nobutsuna? !
He created the Shinkage-ryu, one of the three major schools of future swordsmanship, and pioneered the "no-sword-drawing" technique. He was the first sword saint of the Warring States period five hundred years ago!
Uesugi Tetsuya was speechless for a moment.

Since this child projection, whose age was probably no more than fourteen or fifteen, was not wrong, what Nobutsuna Kamiizumi said was indeed true.

He will indeed become the Sword Saint of the Warring States period, dominating this turbulent era for decades.

No wonder this boy is so arrogant.

No wonder I felt so much pressure.

Uesugi Tetsu sighed and put down the forty-meter-long cleaver in his hand.

Now, all the problems are solved.

Because he is Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.

Even though the person in front of him, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, is still a very long way from being a "Sword Saint," and is far from being a "Sword Saint."

But a person's essence does not change just because they are not yet mature.

"Speaking of which, the Warring States period was a three-star map, right?" Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself, "But this Kamiizumi almost reached the limit of a three-star map when he was only ten years old. Who would dare to dream of what he would achieve after that..."

"Ok?"

Upon seeing Uesugi Tetsu lower his greatsword, Uesugi Nobutsuna exclaimed, "Aren't you going to use this sword to kill me?"

The boy stroked his chin: "A feeling told me that I was here, and that we came here to fight each other."

"That's it."

Nobutsuna Kamiizumi pointed to the large sword lying on the ground: "Using it to eliminate me would be the most correct course of action."

"That would be such a waste, Sword Saint."

Uesugi Tetsuya drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was visibly excited, from his waist and said earnestly to him,
"Life is tough now, so we should be even more diligent and thrifty."

"So that's how it is. I really will become a Sword Saint in the future."

Nobutsuna Kamiizumi was not surprised.

He nodded his chin matter-of-factly and pulled out the mediocre, even inferior, katana from his waist.

For the first time, the boy looked directly into Uesugi Tetsuya's face and eyes, and spoke to him seriously and earnestly: "Then, seeker of the Way, let me see how much fun you can bring me this time..."

Then Uesugi Tetsu smiled.

In the pure white space, no more words or speech appeared.

Only the intertwining of sword lights.

……

On the tatami mat, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly opened his eyes and touched his neck, which was completely unharmed.

He grinned, "Damn it, all these knife-wielding bastards seem to like cutting people's necks..."

Completely forgetting that this was also his favorite place to strike, he was truly a master of decapitation.

Unlike his previous beheading, the feeling of having his neck chopped by Uesugi Nobutsuna was incredibly real, so real that even the real Uesugi Tetsu could clearly feel the phantom pain. However, it wasn't entirely without its advantages.

[After discussion and reflection with others, your skill, Spirit Control Technique - Qi Proficiency +93!]

[Your skill, Natural Mindfulness Style, proficiency +51!]

Looking at the notification that appeared in mid-air, Uesugi Tetsuya smiled with satisfaction.

Although dying in three moves is quite shameful, and it hurts a lot afterwards... it's obvious that the projection of Kamiizumi Nobutsuna is feeding him moves.

Therefore, the improvement in proficiency is also significant.

Decided.

Uesugi Tetsu sat up, appreciating the decisive and exquisite swordsmanship of the projection of Izumi, and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth as he thought to himself.

From now on, I will die once every day in the projection secret realm.

Although he really wanted to go back in and get his head chopped off again right away, he decided to hold back a little, considering that he needed to have a life as a safety net for entering the mortal world.

After stretching his stiff body a little, Uesugi Tetsu opened the door and walked out of the guest room, only to find that even in the early hours of the morning, it was still bustling with activity outside.

Many men and women dressed in Taoist robes walked around, carrying something in their hands.

Uesugi Tetsu guessed that it was probably some kind of material used to maintain the barrier.

He didn't think about it too much, since it wasn't really his concern.

"Uesugi-kun."

An aged voice suddenly rang out beside Uesugi Tetsuya, causing the latter to turn his head sharply.

Shi Fandai stood in the shadows and slowly said to him, "Come with me for a moment, and I'll introduce you to my two teammates in this bet. They will go on stage before you."

"Row."

Although he wanted to complain about Shifan Dai's ability to teleport, Uesugi Tetsuya, who had nothing else to do, followed without saying much once he heard about the important matter.

A few minutes later, in the empty dojo.

“These two are it.” Shi Fandai extended his hand. “In a sense, the three of you will be fighting side by side in a few days.”

Following the direction the old man was pointing, Uesugi Tetsuya saw two young men, one strong and one thin, both wearing Taoist robes.

"Nice to meet you, Uesugi-kun. My name is Akiyama Mei. You can just call me Akiyama."

Standing nearly two meters tall, Akiyama Mei, whose loose, oversized taekwondo uniform was almost bursting out of his hand, walked forward and grinned at Uesugi Tetsuya, extending his palm.

Uesugi Tetsu shook hands with him.

There was no handshake or show of force as expected; Akiyama Mei simply exerted a little force and nodded amicably to Uesugi Tetsuya.

"Tsuchiya Yu, nice to meet you."

The young man, with a serious expression and two bamboo swords at his waist, bowed to Uesugi Tetsuya.

Uesugi Tetsu bowed slightly to him as well.

These two teammates are not bad.

After a brief encounter, Uesugi Tetsuya, who had activated his Eye of Insight, could clearly sense that the two people before him were no ordinary individuals.

His steps were as steady as Mount Tai, his breathing was almost non-existent, his exposed muscles were like cast steel, and the qi circulating on his body was thin yet strong.

Without a doubt, both of them have already climbed to a very high level on the mountain of the Palace of Flesh. The Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school has also long since obtained the certificate of all-powerful mastery, and has entered the inner sanctum. It is already at the level where they can go out and open their own small dojos.

Even without practicing Yin-Yang techniques, they are still among the strongest in the three-and-a-half-star category.

However, he is still a bit short of his transformation into a four-tailed fox.

After all, Uesugi Tetsuya also possesses a Qi Sea and has spiritual power reserves exceeding the amount of Gang Qi within his body. The difference in combat power is not as simple as one plus one.

—If the two of them go together, Uesugi Tetsu might have a bit of a hard time, but his chances of winning are still quite good.

"Now that we've met, I'll speak."

Shi Fan spoke up, drawing the attention of the three: "The duel will take place in a week."

A week.

This timeframe is neither too short nor too long; it's quite ample.

After a pause, the substitute teacher glanced at the three of them and said, "I won't go on and on about anything else. I'll just say one thing..."

The old man's gaze was deep and unfathomable, his eye sockets shrouded in darkness, and a hoarse, stern declaration emanated from his throat.

"This is a fight to the death; people will die! If anyone has any thoughts of backing out, they can withdraw now!"

No one present showed any fear.

Akiyama Ming laughed loudly: "Teacher, don't say such outdated things!"

Yu Tsuchiya didn't speak, but a hint of fervor and anticipation flickered in his narrowed eyes.

Teacher Fan Dai slowly exhaled.

"So, very good."

After a brief meeting with Uesugi Tetsu, Akiyama Tsuchiya and his companion hurriedly left the small dojo—though they were not afraid of a life-or-death battle, the necessary preparations were still essential.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to prepare another hundred copies, given the battles between the Hojo clan of the Warring States period... and possibly the generals and powerful figures of the Hojo clan from two or three hundred years ago.

Even Uesugi Tetsu had to rack his brains to find ways to increase his chances of winning before the duel began.

This is the principle of strategic contempt but tactical respect.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't leave.

He was forcibly pulled down to sit by the teacher's assistant, and watched as the old man in his seventies or eighties took out the tea set and began to brew tea with apparent skill.

Having witnessed Imagawa Yoshimoto's elegant tea-brewing techniques, Uesugi Tetsu subconsciously pointed out the problem.

"Lord Saionji, this move is flawed."

The old man raised an eyebrow and took back the teacup that was about to be placed in front of Uesugi Tetsuya: "Take it or leave it."

"Ah, I have to drink! How can I not drink!" Uesugi Tetsu immediately took the teacup with both hands and drank the warm tea in one gulp. "Delicious!"

It really tastes good.

After drinking the tea in one gulp, Uesugi Tetsuya felt refreshed and even received a small buff in his status bar.

All I can say is that the raw materials are good; even if the brewing technique is a bit off, it doesn't matter.

Hey.

Just as Shi Fandai was about to speak, he was interrupted by the cell phone in Uesugi Tetsu's pocket.

The old man picked up his teacup: "It's alright, look."

I watched it.

He glanced at the information on the screen, which roughly meant that Nanjo Aimin had received the notification for the seeding tournament preliminary rounds, which would be in a few days, and he would need to go through the motions.

When Shi Fan asked what was wrong, Uesugi Tetsuya didn't hide anything.

"The qualifiers..."

Shifan Dai ran his fingers along the rim of the teacup: "It just so happens that Yagyu is going to play in the Shizuoka Prefecture finals. When you meet him in Tokyo, little friend..."

Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly realized: "Let me run some water?"

"Do not."

Shi Fandai, holding his teacup, looked at him, grinned, and a ruthless, villainous smile appeared on his weathered face.
"Fight them to the death, don't hold back."

Uesugi Tetsu almost spat out his tea.

After coughing several times, Uesugi Tetsuya finally recovered.

Looking at the seemingly genuine words of the teacher, he couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst out laughing.

—It can only be said that the relationship between this father and son is closer than that of blood relatives!

The teacher, suppressing his malice, smiled nonchalantly: "Only through failure and pressure under the public eye can that kid make better progress."

Although he had seen many brilliant geniuses of this era, he had never experienced facing one and being utterly defeated.

Teacher Dai also drank his tea in one gulp, his tone sincere.
"Young friend, I hope you can make that brat Yagyu taste the bitterness of defeat."

"Lord Saionji, I would have done it even without you saying so."

Uesugi Tetsu gave a kind smile.

Shi Fan Dai paused for a moment, then nodded: "Then I am relieved."

The two of them took turns drinking tea, and soon the whole pot was empty.

Teacher Fan looked up at the moonlight and asked, "Young friend, would you like to learn footwork now?"

“Tomorrow is fine.” Uesugi Tetsu shook his head, having just been beheaded once. “I won’t have enough energy, and my efficiency will be low.”

"As it should be."

Shi Fandai stood up: "Then, young friend, you should get some rest tonight."

"Then see you in the morning, Lord Saionji."

After a brief farewell, Uesugi Tetsu turned around and leaned comfortably against the doorframe of the dojo.

And so, the various matters that happened tonight have come to an end.

He glanced at his phone and accepted the Line friend request from Tamamo's younger sister, Chisa.

Tamamo said this is the first phone she bought for Chisa today, and she just taught Chisa how to register for Line today, so please forgive Chisa if she says anything wrong.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't think so.

—Chisa is actually quite shy. If I don't speak up, she probably won't send a message for a long time.

But we just said goodbye today, so there's not much to talk about.

Let's wait a while and ask about the situation again.

—At this moment, the forum of the Special Affairs Bureau APP was in an uproar. Countless people were curious about the true identity of the anonymous person and were also discussing whether the suppression of Yuan Jingshui and Jiujieyuan Jin by this nameless person was undeserved.

Uesugi Tetsu didn't have time to deal with these kinds of messages.

Now that I finally have some free time, taking care of myself is the most important thing.

He put his phone aside and, as usual, first looked inward at his dantian.

Hmm... the area of ​​the entire Qi Sea has expanded by about 10%. The bonus period defined by the Ubume's Feather is indeed good. The area of ​​the Qi Sea occupied by the three has not changed much, which is reassuring.

Because the Qi Sea is steadily growing every moment, Uesugi Tetsuya always feels like he's playing an idle game when he watches it.

Just by taking a look, you can see new changes.

I have to say, it was pretty cool.

Uesugi Tetsuya took out the rotary phone that could open the box from his storage backpack, hesitated for a moment after placing his hand on it, but did not dial.

Firstly, it's really not good to make phone calls at four or five in the morning and disturb the neighbors.

The second is——

Now, there are more important things waiting for me.

Uesugi Tetsu put the phone aside and looked at the progress bar of Hakuhannya, which had reached 99%.

He took a deep breath.

In less than three hours, Bai Banruo will reach two and a half stars!

At that time, a brand new two-and-a-half-star card pool will also be unlocked!
(End of this chapter)